Middle English Dictionary Entry
forstē̆r n.
Entry Info
| Forms | forstē̆r n. Also forester. |
| Etymology | OF forestier. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: Cp. foster n.(2).
1.
(a) A forest officer; an official in charge of a royal forest; a gamekeeper or game warden; also, an assistant in the chase, a hunter, a tracker of game; (b) forsteres horn, a small, plain horn used by foresters; forster knave, a forester's servant; ~ penni, a toll [prob. for pasturing cattle in a forest]; ~ of fe, a hereditary forester.
Associated quotations
a
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)10258 : Ne þat bailif ne forester ne soffrede hom nower come.
- c1330(?a1300) Tristrem (Auch)496 : Þe forster for his riȝtes Þe left schulder ȝaf he.
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)422 : Wy pissith nout doke and ruddoc Come fait asne et vereder, As the asse and the forstere?
- (c1387-95) Chaucer CT.Prol.(Manly-Rickert)A.117 : An horn he bar, the bawdryk was of grene; A forster [vr. ffoster] was he..as I gesse.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.112 : Whilk men of toun had taken his venysoun, & who þat was gilty þorgh þe foresters sawe.
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)83 : Whane þe kyng or my lord þe prynce or eny of her blood wil hunte for þe hert..charge þe forsters, and if it be in a parke þe parkers, to be entendaunt to hym bisily.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)17.112 : Þanne shal feith be forester [vr. forster] here.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)173 : Forstere or fostere: Forestarius, indagarius, indago, vel indagator.
- c1440(a1349) Rolle 10 Com.(Thrn)12/12 : Here es forboden gillery of weghte or of tale..als bedells or foresters duse.
- (c1449) Pecock Repr.(Cmb Kk.4.26)29 : Riȝt as forresters and othere men seruen for to hewe doun braunchis for hem silf, and for to delyuere hem to citeseins in Londoun.
- c1450(1369) Chaucer BD (Benson-Robinson)361 : Ther overtok y a gret route Of huntes and eke of foresteres With many relayes and lymeres.
- a1475 Godstow Reg.(Rwl B.408)34/6 : The Couent..yaf & graunted..fowre burdyns of thornys of her wood..euyry day thorow the yere by the syht of her forester.
- (a1475) Fortescue Gov.E.(LdMisc 593)151 : Some fforester off þe kynges..mey brynge moo men to þe ffelde well areyed, and namely ffor shotynge, then mey some knyght or Squyer off ryght gret lyuelod.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)50b : A fforster: forestarius, lucarius, viridarius.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Hrl 7333)150 : He Enterid in to your foreste, and þere þe forster kit of his tayle.
b
- (1296-7) Acc.Cornw.in RHS ser.3.68200 : Et pro decasu redditus firme vaccarum et de foresterpeny.
- (1324) Court R.Lan.in LCRS 4164 : Symon le fforsterknave.
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)72 : Ther byn diuers maners of hornes, þat is to say, vngles, grete abotes, huntes hornes, Ruettis, smale forsters hornes, and mene hornes of ii maners.
- c1457 Insc.in BGAS 20 (Inscr)p.29 : Here lythe Junk (in) Wyrall, Forester of Fee, ye which dysesed on the vii day of Synt Lauroc, the yere of our Lorde MCCCCLVII.
2.
Associated quotations
- c1330(?c1300) Guy(1) (Auch)169 : Gij a forster [Cai: foster] fader hadde, þat him lerd & him radde Of wodes & riuer & oþer game.
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)1661 : Þanne is to hem an helle hir mariage..No lenger forster, no lenger lemman.